Hyderabad, Nov. 3: A fire broke out in the auditorium of Salarjung museum today, destroying furniture and a false ceiling, reports our special correspondent.

A museum spokesman said it was caused by a short circuit. “A dance rehearsal by employees for a programme to mark the 121st birth anniversary of the museum’s founder till the small hours is probably the cause of neglect,” he said.

All the exhibits, including the Nizam’s jewellery in the eastern block — among the museum’s most prized possessions — were unharmed.

The fire started in a storeroom and spread to the auditorium.

Around 6 am, the security staff noticed smoke from the auditorium and called the fire station. Five fire tenders were pressed into service, police said.

Standing on the banks of Musa, Salarjung, India’s third-largest museum, boasts of the largest one-man collection of antiques in the world.

Among the artefacts belonging to Salar Jung-III (1889-1949), prime minister of the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, were antiques of the Mughal period.